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engine failure

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Davidandcats, Jun 22, 2009.

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  1. Davidandcats

    Davidandcats New Member

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    My 2005 Prius ran just fine for 3 years; then in February one of the fuel injectors had to be replaced. The dealership said it was not communicating with the computer which they also replaced.
    Then 2 months later the main battery failed and was also replaced under warrenty.
    Then 3 weeks later the engine blew up! The connecting rod to the piston broke and tore holes in the block!!
    The car has 135,000 Kms which is 84,000 miles and has had regular oil changes and all of the prescribed maintenaince.
    Has anyone heard of such problems before?
    Could the change of computer have caused these failures?
    Any help would be appreciated.
    Toyota of Canada and the dealership have offered to pay less than half of the $8100.00 repair cost!
     
    #1 Davidandcats, Jun 22, 2009
  2. Ogo

    Ogo Prius Owner since 2008

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    Wow. First time I hear about such catastrophic Prius failures one after another.
    I doubt a failing engine ECU would cause such failures.
     
    #2 Ogo, Jun 23, 2009
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  3. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    Only if it caused stressful torque, but you would have felt harsh transitions under load.

    What could have happened is the introduction of foreign particles into the cylinder when the injector was replaced. Was it the same cylinder?
    I would investigate availability of a low mileage, salvaged engine for my Prius if this happened to me.

    JeffD
     
    #3 jdenenberg, Jun 23, 2009
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  4. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Was the car running normally after the injector and battery replacements? Are you the only owner? Were there any other previous incidents or oddities of any kind?
     
    #4 richard schumacher, Jun 23, 2009
  5. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Why only half? What don't we know here?
    Is the car still under warranty or not?
     
    #5 patsparks, Jun 23, 2009
  6. FuelSpender

    FuelSpender New Member

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    I suspect there should be 2 sides to every story....

    Was the car driven NORMALLY this whole time?
     
    #6 FuelSpender, Jun 23, 2009
  7. EZW1

    EZW1 Active Member

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    Throwing a connecting rod could only be caused by two things: 1. Lack of lubrication, 2. Contamination between rod bearing and crankshaft journal.

    The first could be caused by a failure of the oil pump, a blockage in the oil path from the pump to the rod journal, or insufficient oil level to maintain adequate lubrication (generally this means loss of all oil).

    An injector going bad is not likely to produce particles in the oil pan. Contaminants are usually pushed out the exhaust path.

    I would seriously evaluate the loss of lubrication scanario. If you have the oil changed by someone other than yourself, question the last time it was done, etc.
     
    #7 EZW1, Jun 23, 2009
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  8. Davidandcats

    Davidandcats New Member

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    No the warrenty expires at 100,000 Km. The service manager did tell me that one of the factors Toyota considers is weather or not you had your oil changes done at Toyota or elsewhere.
    In other words they will reduce the amount of monetary aid if you have been going elsewhere.
     
    #8 Davidandcats, Jun 25, 2009
  9. Davidandcats

    Davidandcats New Member

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    Yep! Wife drives it back and forth to work; about 20 kms each way
     
    #9 Davidandcats, Jun 25, 2009
  10. Davidandcats

    Davidandcats New Member

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    Car was running normally; I am the second owner having bought the car at one year old from a dealership in toronto(my second car from them)
    No other incidents or oddities i am aware of
     
    #10 Davidandcats, Jun 25, 2009
  11. Davidandcats

    Davidandcats New Member

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    There did not appear to be any oil loss until the engine broke. I had just come out of Canadian Tire (oil change) and when i started the car the warning lights came on and i took it to the dealership and that's when they replaced the fuel injector and computer (February)
     
    #11 Davidandcats, Jun 25, 2009
  12. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    It sounds like you have been getting your engine oil changes "elsewhere".

    - When was the last oil change in terms of time and odometer reading, prior to the engine failure?

    - Did you have occasion to verify the engine oil level was correct, after the service had been done?

    - Are you planning to have a new engine installed or are you going to investigate the salvage route (should cost $1K or less for the engine).

    If you are going to consider salvage, you may also want to replace the transaxle while you are at it, if you can find a low odometer salvage vehicle to take both components from. There should be no additional labor cost involved.
     
    #12 Patrick Wong, Jun 25, 2009
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  13. Davidandcats

    Davidandcats New Member

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    Yes i have had all of my cars done at Canadian Tire, which is a national chain here in Canada. It would cost me one third more to have the oil changed at the dealer.
    I did not verify the oil level the last time
    It would have been coming due for a change when the engine failed
    The dealer gives a one year warranty with 20,000 kms for the repair
    I had not even thought of salvage. Thanks
     
    #13 Davidandcats, Jun 25, 2009
  14. 2009Prius

    2009Prius A Wimpy DIYer

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    Wouldn't a warning light come on if oil pressure is low?
     
    #14 2009Prius, Jun 25, 2009
  15. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Two words: "Canadian" and "Tire"

    They're the Iffy Boob of Canada, and about as competent too
     
    #15 jayman, Jun 25, 2009
  16. Politburo

    Politburo Active Member

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    #16 Politburo, Jun 25, 2009
  17. timberwolf

    timberwolf New Member

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    I wonder if Canadian Tire drained the oil whilst the OP's Prius was still in READY i.e. the ICE could spin up at any moment when there was insufficient oil? :eek:

    It seems very odd that an injector and ECU would be faulty when the OP collected their car immediately after an oil change? (That is assuming the wife, who usually drove the car, hadn't been oblivous to a pre-existing fault with her car).

    In hindsight, were the cheaper oil changes at Canadian Tire really such a bargain?
     
    #17 timberwolf, Jun 25, 2009
  18. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    my prius doesn't have an oil pressure light. I've boiled the oil twice.. had it low on my about 3 times.. very oddly low. no lights. odd knocking which kinda went away with adding oil.. but.. shrug. on my 04, there is no warning till things seize up
     
    #18 V8Cobrakid, Jun 25, 2009
  19. Jared

    Jared Member

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    This car was a year old when he bought it. Who knows how it was treated during this year?
     
    #19 Jared, Jun 25, 2009
  20. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    any junk in the oil pan? (wrist pin clip?) suppose they didn't remove the head to see if there was cylinder wall scoring.
     
    #20 galaxee, Jun 25, 2009
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